Ultrasonic dental scalers and surgical instruments are available from several different suppliers. These units generally have a power supply unit and a handpiece connected to the power supply by a cable by which electrical current and water are typically supplied to the handpiece. The handpiece includes a tip insert which has a transducer stack which interacts with an alternating magnetic field created by a coil in a wall of the housing to set up an ultrasonic vibration of the insert. The insert generally has a dental tool or tip which is integral with the transducer stack or removably attached thereto.
In this prior art design, the insert and tip are removable from the handpiece for sterilization in an autoclave. When the tip or transducer stack fail or wear sufficiently to be replaced, this is done by replacing the entire insert in the case of the integral stack and tip insert, or by replacement of the stack or the tip as necessary in the two-part insert system. The transducer stacks and tips, as well as the complete insert, can be expensive to replace, particularly where the insert comprising the transducer stack and tip is a one-piece insert.
Some manufacturers provide a variety of tips which can be used with the same transducer stack and handpiece. This provides versatility in that the ultrasonic dental tool can be used for different purposes or operating conditions. However, one manufacturer's tips are not generally interchangeable with another manufacturer's. This is due, not only to the different connection between the tip and stack which may be employed, but also because of the different operating frequencies which are employed. The nature of ultrasonics requires that the tip be matched with the transducer stack so that the end of the tip corresponds to a node of maximum vibration, whereas the connection of the transducer stack to the handpiece must correspond to an antinode where there is little or no vibration which would otherwise generate heat and ultimately result in a failure of the connection. Since changing the length or the operating frequency will change the location of the nodes, and of the antinodes, the interchangeability of the tips between different manufacturers is problematic.
Applicant has found that it would be desirable to reduce the cost of replacing broken or worn components of an ultrasonic dental insert. Applicant has further found that it would also be desirable to be able to interchangeably use tips and transducer stacks in different handpieces of different manufacturers.